Bloch
Bloch MB.220
The Bloch MB.220 was a French twin‑engine transport aircraft built by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the mid‑1930s. Its prototype first took to the skies on 26 July 1936, and the type entered service with Air France the following year as a modern, all‑metal airliner capable of carrying ten to twelve passengers on routes across Europe and to North Africa. The low‑wing monoplane featured a streamlined fuselage, retractable main landing gear and two powerful 860 hp Gnome‑Rhône 14N radial engines, which gave it a cruising speed of about 350 km/h and a range of roughly 2 000 km. In addition to civilian duties, the MB.220 was pressed into military service at the outbreak of World War II, where it performed transport, liaison and light cargo missions for the French Air Force and later for the Vichy and Free French forces. Although only a few dozen were built, the aircraft demonstrated the viability of twin‑engine, all‑metal designs for both commercial and military use, paving the way for post‑war French transports such as the Bloch MB.700 series. Its blend of speed, capacity, and robust construction made the MB.220 a notable milestone in 1930s aviation and a bridge between pre‑war civil aircraft and the more advanced transports that followed.
Classification
Dimensions
- Wing Area
- 75 square metre
- Length
- 19.25 metre
Performance
- Service Ceiling
- 7500 metre
- Range
- 1400 kilometre
Production & History
- Units Produced
- 17
- First Flight
- 1936
- Service Entry
- 1937